What Is Chekku (Cold Pressed) Oil and Why Does It Matter?
Chekku oil is pressed slowly in a wooden press without heat or chemicals. Here is what actually happens inside the press and why the result tastes and behaves so differently from refined oil.
The Tamil word nallennai means “the good oil”. No other oil has such a wide role in daily life. Here are ten ways it has been used for generations.
- Cooking. Kuzhambu, poriyal and kootu made in gingelly oil have a depth of flavour that no other oil gives.
- Pickles. A layer of nallennai on top of mango or lemon oorugai keeps it for months without refrigeration.
- Idli podi. A spoon of gingelly oil mixed into milagai podi is the classic accompaniment to idli and dosa.
- Weekly oil bath. Warm gingelly oil massaged into the scalp and body before a bath is the Saturday (for men) and Tuesday or Friday (for women) ritual in many homes.
- Oil pulling. Swishing a spoon of gingelly oil in the mouth for 10–15 minutes each morning is an ancient practice for oral hygiene.
- Lamp oil. Gingelly oil is the preferred oil for the kuthu vilakku in pooja rooms and temples.
- Baby massage. Lightly warmed gingelly oil is used for infant massage in many families (always patch test first).
- Foot care. Massaging the soles with gingelly oil before bed is a traditional remedy for heat in the body and dry heels.
- Ear care. Elders used a drop of warm gingelly oil for earache – please consult a doctor today rather than self-treating.
- Festive sweets. Ellu urundai and chikki rely on the pairing of sesame and jaggery, and gingelly oil greases the plate.
Our Chekku Nallennai is pressed from whole sesame seeds in a wooden press. Because it is unrefined, it keeps the natural sesamol and sesamin that give the oil its stability and its reputation.
